Article Comments - 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $9,999

21 messages, Last post on Jun 20, 2009 at 5:11 PM

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10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $9,999 - Our recent feature, "The 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $4,999" started us down this road of cheap car fun. (more)

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#9 of 21 $10K only if you have another $10K sitting around by gouldn Jun 04, 2009 (4:55 pm)
I loved the article, but I need to wholeheartedly agree with some of what's been said above. If you buy a $60,000 car for $10K, be prepared to face much larger maintenance costs. Some may argue that they can do the work themselves, but the large BMW in particular will get you on parts! I've know people personally have gone down this road, buying 10 year old big BMWs with 120K+ miles, and they got killed on the maintenance. Even at the good indy shops, you've got to be prepared to pay the price. It's one thing if you can afford a $25K car and buy a $10K BMW, do your homework to get a documented car, and put money aside for maintenance and repair. As long as you can and PLAN to spend $$ you probably will do OK What scares me is the people who spend every dime they have to buy a $10K 100K+ mile BMW, and expect it to not cost them more than the Mazda 626 they just upgraded from. They don't spend enough on maintenance, and are often sunk at the first $2K repair. Worst of all, some people even manage to get loans for a 10 year old BMW, and are making payments on a car that is surely going to cost them more than the payments. With that said, the 740 is a wonderful car. I think the lines were classic before they changed it! In fact every car they mention would be a great car to own ... as long as you're not under the impression that $$ wise it's equivalent to buying a new Versa or something. Replies to this message: roadburner (Jun 04, 2009 7:47 pm)
#10 of 21 Re: $10K only if you have another $10K sitting around [gouldn] by roadburner Jun 04, 2009 (7:47 pm)
Replying to: gouldn (Jun 04, 2009 4:55 pm) but the large BMW in particular will get you on parts! That's where your BMW CCA discount comes in handy!
#11 of 21 A4 by tshoe Jun 05, 2009 (7:14 am)
I have a 2002 FWD A4 1.8T, this is the first year of the 2nd A4 body style. It is a great commuter for me, however with the Turbo and/or gas saving CVT it is a bit sluggish off of the line. Have had to put a couple hundred dollars in it after warranty has gone out but not bad. Mine has under 60K miles and is worth $10K! Gets 30+ MPG on hwy, 25 in city.
#13 of 21 I've found the best by dyzio Jun 07, 2009 (3:12 am)
I love this kind of ...best used cars to 10000$...articles ! great job Edmunds! If that was my money I would go for that Camaro(or similar F-bird), no doubt best looking and performing car in the bunch..! 7 series BMW also not bad car with J. Bond heritage.. Instead of that Integras, and STI I would try to find some nice 2-door Prelude or Legend (beutifuul cars , almost like SEC Mercedes) and about Subaru ..I really can't take this car because of front design - what an ugly thing from this angle! side , and rear view are ok....come'n front is a face of the car ! modern muscle debate ernwoprwp.pl
#14 of 21 300ZX by ttimelezz Jun 08, 2009 (7:44 am)
If I'm looking for a performance car, the 300ZX Twin Turbo is a clear winner if you find a nice example for $10k. It has the looks (inside and outside), the power (also the potential to go bigger) and the handling that beats many newer cars.
#15 of 21 GTI by cw910 Jun 08, 2009 (4:01 pm)
I've owned a 2002 GTI VR6 since new. This was the first year with a 6 speed and 200hp VR6. It's been a love/hate relationship. As many others have documented, German engineering means a car that is great to drive and not so good to own. Lots of squeaks and rattles, lots of little problems (the stereo has never worked quite right), and 2 times stranded by electrical (luckily at home). Plus, the dealer's service department was HORRIBLE. However, the car still looks brand new inside and out at 88,000 mi. It handled a recent track day with no problems at all. I prefer the engine (stronger, but not smoother) and the shifter (shorter throws) to a similar year 325i. It could use a little sharper steering and less body roll, but it still has a wonderful combination of everyday usability and sporty character. Too bad VW doesn't know which way is up regarding quality control. They need to get their heads out of the sand, and have a serious talk with their dealers.
#16 of 21 $4more money!!! Stay away!!! by g35xfun Jun 10, 2009 (1:25 pm)
Who in their right mind would recommend an S4. Want to know what S4 stands for? Try $$$$$4 for more money to be poured down the drain. I owned a '01 S4 new from day one, and I had to unload it when is got to 77K miles because it need a third torque converter replacement and transmission swap, not to mention how the Audi dealer and Audi of North America totally shirked their responsibility from a lousy job they did with the previous transmission. That is on top of a list of other problems like frozen vaccuum lines and oil leaking out of the camshaft seals because the oil got injected into the intake manifold. By the away, did the author not even check against consumer reports? In the April 2009 issue, consumer reports ratings, the S4 was listed among the worst of the worst on page 82. Let this be fair warning to any and all who gets lured by the that twin turbo powered flat torque curve. BTW I didn't have to suffer indiginity of blown turbos because I babied the thing, blow turbos were common place on the S4.
#17 of 21 For $10K... by jchan2 Jun 11, 2009 (6:34 pm)
I would look into a late 1990's Mercedes-Benz C-Class... Maybe not the most fun of cars, but that design of the C-Class is timeless in my book and ages extremely well. I agree that if you're going to buy any of those cars be prepared to pour more money for repairs and to get an inspection by a person specializing in that brand. I have a friend who didn't do that and bought a '95 C280 w/ 180K miles and ended up spending more in repairs than she did for the entire car. She totaled the thing earlier this year and ended up buying a Jeep Cherokee.
#18 of 21 German use cars are a no no. by jacton Jun 19, 2009 (6:47 am)
I agree with everything said above out of experience. My 2nd gen A4 was beautiful to look at and drive (when it didn't chew 1/2 of its oil capacity between changes) but reliability was not in it's vocabulary. I asked the dealer to start paying for half of my payment since they drove it almost as much as i did with all the problems it had. It was by far the most unreliable car i have EVER owned American included. My friend is having similar issues with his 2001 A6. There is a very good service guy here in the DFW area but parts are VERY expensive and larbor is high too. Plus has A6 smells waxy and it gives me a headache. I would def. get the camaro or an SVT focus before ever owning a German car again. I might be tempted by an E36 M3 as long as it wasn't a daily driver. I think if you can find a Mitsu 300GT Vr4 you would have a great used car that is fast and reliable.